GWSP Links

Global Environmental Change Programmes
Research institutes and projects
Non-Governmental Organisations and projects
Governmental and Intergovernmental organisations and projects
United Nations Institutions/Programmes/Agencies/Projects
Associations and Networks
Policy makers
Companies
Education sector
Higher Education
Data sources
Donors
International Treaties, Conventions, Commissions, Resolutions, Recommendations & Water Laws
Other relevant links

Global Environmental Change Programmes

AIMES (Analysis, Integration and Modeling of the Earth System)
AIMES is the new Earth System synthesis and integration project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP).

CEOP
The Coordinated Enhanced Observing Period (CEOP) seeks to establish and integrated global observing system for the water cycle which responds to both scientific and social needs.

CLIVAR
CLIVAR is an international research programme addressing many issues of natural climate variability and anthropogenic climate change.

DIVERSITAS - an international programme of biodiversity science

Earth System Science Partnership
The Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP) is a joint initiative of four global change programmes: DIVERSITAS – an international programme of biodiversity science, IGBP – International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, IHDP – International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change, WCRP – World Climate Research Programme.

Global Analysis, Integration and Modelling Task Force
The Global Analysis, Integration and Modelling Task Force (GAIM) is a component of the International Geosphere Biosphere Program (IGBP) of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU).

Global Carbon Project
The Global Carbon Project (GCP) is a joint project of the Earth System Science Partnership and aims at developing a complete picture of the global carbon cycle, including both its biophysical and human dimensions together with the interactions and feedbacks between them.

Global Environmental Change and Food Systems
Global Environmental Change and Food Systems (GECAFS) is a comprehensive programme of research focussed on understanding the links between food security and global environmental change.

Global Environmental Change and Human Security Project
The Global Environmental Change and Human Security (GECHS) Project is an interdisciplinary research project that seeks to advance research and policy that addresses the human dimensions of environmental change and the reconceptualization of security.

GEWEX
GEWEX is an integrated program of research, observations, and science activities ultimately leading to the prediction of global and regional climate change.

Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics
Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) was initiated by SCOR and the IOC of UNESCO to understand how global change will affect the abundance, diversity and productivity of marine populations comprising a major component of oceanic ecosystems.

Institutional Dimensions of Global Environmental Change
Institutional Dimensions of Global Environmental Change (IDGEC) is a long-term international research project developed during the 1990s under the auspices of the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP) and currently operating as one of IHDP's core projects.

International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
The International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) is an international scientific research programme built on interdisciplinarity, networking and integration. It addresses scientific questions where an international approach is the best or the only way to provide an answer. We add value to a large number of individual, national and regional research projects through integrating activities to achieve enhanced scientific understanding.

International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change
IHDP is an international, interdisciplinary, non-governmental science programme dedicated to promoting and co-ordinating research. Its aims are to describe, analyse and understand the human dimensions of global environmental change.

Integrated Land Ecosystem – Atmosphere Processes Study
iLEAPS, the Integrated Land Ecosystem – Atmosphere Processes Study is the land atmosphere interface core project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP).

Industrial Transformation
Industrial Transformation (IT) presents an innovative way of organizing research, which aims at understanding the societal mechanisms and human driving forces that could facilitate a transformation of the industrial system towards sustainability.

Land-Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone
LOICZ is engaging in research to inform the scientific community, policymakers, managers and stakeholders on the relevance of global environmental change in the coastal zone.

Land Use and Land Cover Change Project
The Land Use and Land Cover Change (LUCC) Project is a Programme Element of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) and the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP).

Monsoon Asia Integrated Regional Study (MAIRS)
MAIRS is a new international research organization that attempts to understand to what extent the human activities modulate the Asia monsoon climate and how the changed monsoon climate will impact further the social and economic development of Asia.

PAGES (Past Global Changes)
PAGES (Past Global Changes) supports research aimed at understanding the Earth’s past environment in order to make predictions for the future.

START
START is a non-governmental, non-profit organization that seeks to establish and foster regional networks of collaborating scientists and institutions in developing countries.

Water And Global Change (WATCH)
The Integrated Project Water and Global Change (WATCH) will bring together the hydrological, water resources and climate communities to analyse, quantify and predict the components of the current and future global water cycles and related water resources states; evaluate their uncertainties and clarify the overall vulnerability of global water resources related to the main societal and economic sectors.

World Climate Research Programme
The World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) was initiated to help develop the fundamental scientific understanding of the physical climate system and climate processes needed to determine to what extent climate can be predicted and the extent of human influence on climate.

Research Institutes and Projects

ALTERRA Water and Climate
The Centre’s mission is to execute fundamental and applied research on water and climate related issues, and to provide academic education and professional training in these fields.

Berkeley Water Center
The Berkeley Water Center takes a comprehensive approach to water resources research and management that reflects the conditions of the 21st Century: variable and uncertain supply, increasing demand and inadequate structural and institutional infrastructure.

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) is a component of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). On 1st April 2000, the four Institutes that formed CEH merged: the Institute of Hydrology (IH) became the CEH Wallingford site, specialising in hydrology. From its base at Crowmarsh Gifford on the Thames near Wallingford, Oxfordshire, about 150 scientists investigate the effects of land-use, climate, topography and geology on the volume and character of surface water resources.

Center for Environmental Systems Research
The Center for Environmental Systems Research as one of the University of Kassel's inter-faculty research centers is pursueing the challenging goals of increasing understanding about the functioning of environmental systems and the causes of environmental problems, and identifying "sustainable" pathways into the future, i.e. pathways that allow development of society in harmony with nature.

Center for Development Research
The Center for Development Research (ZEF) is an international and interdisciplinary academic research institute of the "Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms" University in Bonn.

Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment
At the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), we examine the linkages between natural resources, human health and security, and changes in the global environment. Our staff and students conduct cutting-edge research on these critical problems, and disseminate that knowledge through innovative teaching and outreach at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Centre for Riverine Landscapes
The Centre for Riverine Landscapes is a research centre at Griffith University undertaking research and education on rivers and their catchments.

Centro de Previsão de Tempo e Estudos Climáticos

Challenge Program on Water and Food
The Challenge Program on Water and Food is an international research and capacity-building initiative to find ways of growing more food with less water—while improving rural livelihoods and protecting the environment.

Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED)

CSIRO Land and Water
CSIRO Land and Water and its partners seek to develop innovative solutions to Australia’s land and water management challenges.

CUASHI
The Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science (CUAHSI) is an organization representing more than one hundred U.S. universities.

EAWAG - Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology
Eawag is a Swiss-based and internationally linked aquatic research institute committed to an ecological, economical and socially responsible management of water – the primary source of all life. It carries out research, teaching and consulting and forms a link between science and practical application.

Ecosystem Services Project
The Ecosystem Services Project is a collaborative natural resource management project studying the services people obtain from their environments, the economic and social values inherent in these services and the opportunities that can arise from considering these services more fully in land management policies and decisions.

Euro-limpacs
Integrated project to evaluate impacts of global change on European freshwater ecosystems

FRIEND
The FRIEND (Flow Regimes from International Experimental and Network Data) research programme is an international study in regional hydrology.

GLOWA Volta Project
The GLOWA Volta Project is an interdisciplinary project supporting sustainable water resource management in the Volta Basin.

Hydrology for the Environment, Life and Policy (HELP)
HELP is a joint initiative of the United Nations Educational Scientific Organization (UNESCO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

International Food Policy Research Institute
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) conducts research in developing countries to identify policies to improve agriculture, nutrition, and the environment.

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) is a non-governmental research organization that conducts inter-disciplinary scientific studies on environmental, economic, technological and social issues in the context of human dimensions of global change.

Institute for Environmental Systems Research
The Institute of Environmental Systems Research (ESR) at the University of Osnabrueck focuses on ecosystems analysis and biogeochemical modelling, environmental exposition and risk analysis, substance balances, environmental management systems, as well as socio-economic issues.

Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research
The Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR) is a research institute at the Chinese Academy of Sciences focusing on the studies of the dynamics of terrestrial surface and its reaction to global changes, regional resources and environment, mechanism and changing pattern of man-land system, regional sustainable development and resource economies, ecosystem and its network, as well as geo-information sciences.

Institute of Industrial Science, Hydrology and Water resources engineering at the University of Tokyo

Integrated Catchment Assessment and Management Centre
iCAM is a small team of researchers specialising in integrated catchment modelling at the Australian National University.

International Rice Research Institute
The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is an autonomous, nonprofit agricultural research and training organization with offices in more than ten nations. The Institute’s main goal is to find sustainable ways to improve the well-being of present and future generations of poor rice farmers and consumers while at the same time protecting the environment.

International Water Management Institute
The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is a nonprofit scientific research organization focusing on the sustainable use of water and land resources in agriculture and on the water needs of developing countries.

ISRIC - Intl. Soil and Reference Information Centre
ISRIC is a Foundation for Documentation, Training and Research on Soils of the World and is the World Data Centre for Soils of the International Council of Sciences (ICSU)

Landscape Ecology Group at Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University

Max Planck Institute for Meteorology
The MPI-M is an institute for climate research that aims at understanding how physical, chemical and biological processes, as well as human behaviour contribute to the dynamics of the Earth system, and specifically how they relate to global and regional climate changes.

NeWater - New Approaches to Adaptive Water Management under Uncertainty
Integrated Project in the 6th EU Framework Programme

Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) is an international and independent research institute working on questions of climate change, climate impact and sustainable development.

Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN)
The RIHN - an inter-disciplinary research institute under the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology - was established to carry out integrated research that innovates solutions to problems related to the global environment.

Rutgers' Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences
IMCS is dedicated to developing, communicating, and understanding processes governing change and sustainability in marine and coastal ecosystems, and to shaping future directions for the use and protections of our vital marine and coastal resources.

School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
The University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences (SAFS) addresses major issues in the aquatic sciences with an emphasis on fisheries management and aquatic resource conservation.

SEARCA Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture

Stockholm Environment Institute
SEI is an independent, international research institute specializing in sustainable development and environment issues. It works at local, national, regional and global policy levels. The SEI research programmes aim to clarify the requirements, strategies and policies for a transition to sustainability.

Surface Water Hydrology Research Group
The Surface Water Hydrology Research Group at the University of Washington focuses primarily on surface water hydrologic modeling using both large and small scale models.

Sustainability of semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas (SAHRA)
SAHRA's mission is to identify critical stakeholder-relevant knowledge gaps and conduct basin-focused multidisciplinary research to fill them; and to convey what is known and what is being learned to improve water management and policy.

Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute
SMHI, the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, operates under the auspices of the Swedish Ministry of the Environment and uses its meteorological, hydrological and oceanographic expertise to promote efficiency, safety and a better environment in various areas of society.

The World Fish Center
The World Fish Center is committed to contributing to food security and poverty eradication in developing countries through research, partnerships, capacity building and policy support on living aquatic resources.

UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education
The Institute focuses on education and training of professionals and on building the capacity of sector organisations, knowledge centres and other institutions active in the fields of water, the environment and infrastructure, in developing countries and countries in transition.

United Nations University

UNU Institute for Environment and Human Security

SESAM
The University of the Philippines Los Baños School of Environmental Science and Management (UPLB-SESAM) is an academic institution that leads in the environmental education initiative of the university.

Water Systems Analysis Group
The Water Systems Analysis Group is a research group within Complex Systems Research Center, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space at the University of New Hampshire.

World Resources Institut - Water Resources and Freshwater Ecosystems

Worldwatch Institute
The Worldwatch Institute is an independent research organization that works for an environmentally sustainable and socially just society, in which the needs of all people are met without threatening the health of the natural environment or the well-being of future generations.

Non-Governmental Organisations and Projects

Germanwatch
Germanwatch is a non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental "North-South initiative" actively engaged in directing German political policy towards sustainability for the countries of the South as well as those of the North.

International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID)
The Commission is a Scientific, Technical and Voluntary Not-for-profit Non-Governmental International Organization dedicated to enhancing the worldwide supply of food and fibre for all people by improving water and land management and the productivity of irrigated and drained lands through appropriate management of water, environment and application of irrigation, drainage and flood management techniques.

International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD)
ICOLD is an international non-governmental organization which provides a forum for the exchange of knowledge and experience in dam engineering. The organization leads the profession in ensuring that dams are built safely, efficiently, economically, and without detrimental effects on the environment.
The web page has information about different themes related to dams: safety dams, sustainable dams, food, energy, hydrology and floods.

International Council for Science
The International Council for Science (ICSU) is a non-governmental organization representing a global membership that includes both national scientific bodies (103 members) and international scientific unions (27 members).

International Lake Environment Committee
ILEC was organized with the aim of promoting environmentally sound management of natural and man-made lakes and their environments consistent with sustainable development policies by promoting international research and investigation, and by facilitating the exchange of findings and knowledge among the experts throughout the world.

IUCN Water and Nature Initiative
A 5-year action plan of 80 partner organizations to improve water management for healthy rivers and healthy communities.

ProClim
Forum for Climate and Global Change of the Swiss Academy of Sciences.

Stockholm International Water Institute
The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) is a policy think tank that contributes to international efforts to find solutions to the world’s escalating water crisis.

START
START is a non-governmental, non-profit organization that seeks to establish and foster regional networks of collaborating scientists and institutions in developing countries.

The National Academies Water Information Center
The Water Information Center is a portal of more than 100 peer-reviewed reports from the National Academies on water-related issues. The website aims to assist the work of water scientists, engineers, managers, policy-makers, and students throughout the world.

Third World Centre for Water Management
The centre is primarily a knowledge-based, application oriented think tank, having activities in many areas, both in terms of issues and geographical coverage. The Centre focuses on four specific areas of knowledge: knowledge generation, knowledge synthesis, knowledge application and knowledge dissemination.

World Water Council
The World Water Council is the International Water Policy Think Tank dedicated to strengthening the world water movement for an improved management of the world's water resources and water services.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

World Wildlife Fund - WildFinder
WildFinder is a map-driven, searchable database of more than 30,000 species worldwide, with a powerful search tool that allows users to discover where species live or explore wild places to find out what species live there. WildFinder contains information on birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.

Governmental and Intergovernmental Organisations and Projects

Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research
The Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) is an inter-governmental network for the promotion of global change research and links between science and policy making in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Asian Development Bank
ADB is a multilateral development finance institution dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific.

BMBF- Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Entwicklung und Zusammenarbeit

CPTEC/INPE-Center for Weather Forecasts and Climate Studies/National Institute for Space Research

DLR Environmental Research and Technology
The project management organization in the German Aerospace Centre (PT-DLR) supports the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in the area of Environmental Research and Technology (PT-DLR UF) in fostering national and international research and development (R&D) projects within the framework of the implementation of the German National Sustainability Strategy. The emphasis is on the environmental aspects of sustainable development. Funding measures are realised in cooperation with Division 621 (Sustainability Policy Issues, Environmental Law), Division 622 (Global Change) and Division 623 (Sustainability Concepts for Production and Consumption).

European Environment Agency
The European Environment Agency is the EU body dedicated to providing sound, independent information on the environment.

EU Water Initiative
The EUWI was launched by the EU as a catalyst and a foundation on which future action can be built to contribute to meeting the water and sanitation Millenium Development Goals.

German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation
The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation is a higher Federal authority reporting to the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). It advises the Ministry on all issues relating to national and international nature conservation and landscape management, promote nature conservation activities, support research projects and act as the authority permitting the import and export of protected species of animals and plants.

Instream Flow Council
The Instream Flow Council is an organization that represents the interests of state and provincial fish and wildlife management agencies in the United States and Canada dedicated to improving the effectiveness of their instream flow programs.

Inter American Institute for Global Change Research
The IAI is an intergovernmental organization supported by 19 countries in the Americas dedicated to pursuing the principles of scientific excellence, international cooperation, and the open exchange of scientific information to increase the understanding of global change phenomena and their socio-economic implications.

UNESCO-International Hydrological Programme
UNESCO's intergovernmental scientific programme in water resources

Länderarbeitsgemeinschaft Wasser
The LAWA is the German Working Group of the Federal States on water issues.

Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Forschung des Landes NRW

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

NEPAD
New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) is a programme of the African Union designed to meet its development objectives.

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

US Climate Change Science Program
The Climate Change Science Program integrates federal research on climate and global change.

United Nations Institutions/Programmes/Agencies

Commission on Sustainable Development
The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was created in December 1992 to ensure effective follow-up of UNCED; to monitor and report on implementation of the Earth Summit agreements at the local, national, regional and international levels.

DDP - UNEP Dams and Development Project

DEWA
The UNEP Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA) provides the world community with improved access to meaningful environmental data and information, and to help increase the capacity of governments to use environmental information for decision-making and action planning for sustainable human development.

FIGIS - FAO Fisheries Global Information System
The FAO Fisheries Global Information System is a network of integrated fisheries information.

Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations leads international efforts to defeat hunger.

Food Force (Game) - UN World Food Programme
Computer Game. Description: A major crisis has developed in the Indian Ocean, on the island of Sheylan. We’re sending in a new team to step up the World Food Programme’s presence there and help feed millions of hungry people.

FAO Land and Water Division
The Land and Water Development Division is concerned with the development of technology, strategy and policy, and the provision of advisory and technical services to FAO Members to ensure a more productive and efficient use of land and water resources and plant nutrients in order to meet present and future food and agriculture demands on a sustainable basis.

GEO-3 Data Compendium
On-line version of the GEO-3 Data Compendium. It provides easy access to the national, sub-regional, regional and global statistical data sets used for UNEP's third Global Environment Outlook (GEO-3) report.

Global International Waters Assessment
Global International Waters Assessment (GIWA) is a water programme led by the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP.

Global Environment Monitoring System Freshwater Quality Programme
The United Nations GEMS/Water Programme provides scientifically-sound data and information on the state and trends of global inland water quality required as a basis for the sustainable management of the world's freshwater to support global environmental assessments and decision- making processes.

UNEP Global Environment Outlook
The UNEP Global Environment Outlook (GEO) project was initiated in response to the environmental reporting requirements of Agenda 21 and to a UNEP Governing Council decision which requested the production of a new comprehensive global state of the environment report.

Hydrology and Water Resources Programme
The HWRP of WMO promotes the sustainable management of the global water resources by providing data, models and strategies.

International Fund for Agricultural Development
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established to finance agricultural development projects primarily for food production in the developing countries.

International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC)
IGRAC is an initiative of WMO and UNESCO and facilitates and promotes world-wide exchange of groundwater knowledge.

United Nations Development Programme
UNDP is the UN’s global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life.

United Nations Environmental Programme

UNEP-Infoterra
UNEP'S Global Environmental Information Exchange Network. Infoterra's mission is to provide access to authoritative information on environmental matters and promote information exchange among all countries worldwide.

UNEP International Environmental Technology Centre
IETC's main role is to promote the application of Environmentally Sound Technologies (ESTs) to address urban environmental problems, such as sewage, air pollution, solid waste and noise, and the management of freshwater resources to developing countries and countries with economies in transition. The Centre serves as a proactive inter-mediator for cooperation between sources and users of ESTs.

UNEP Regional Office for West Asia
The role of the Regional Office for West Asia (UNEP/ROWA) is to ensure that the environmental priorities in the West Asia region get adequate representation in the global network programmes carried out by UNEP, and that global focus areas are reflected in the environmental work carried out in the countries of the region.

UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Center
The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre provides information for policy and action to conserve the living world.

UNESCO
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) promotes international co-operation among its 190 Member States and six Associate Members in the fields of education, science, culture and communication.

UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund

United Nations University (UNU)

UNU Institute for Environment and Human Security

World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)
The UN system’s authoritative voice on the state and behaviour of the Earth’s atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, the climate it produces and the resulting distribution of water resources.

UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre
The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre provides information for policy and action to conserve the living world. The programmes concentrate on species, forests, protected areas, marine, mountains and freshwaters; plus habitats affected by climate change such as polar regions. We also address the relationship between trade and the environment and the wider aspects of biodiversity assessment.

World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP)
This UN-wide programme seeks to develop the tools and skills needed to achieve a better understanding of those basic processes, management practices and policies that will help improve the supply and quality of global freshwater resources.

Associations and Networks

CoML - Censur of Marine Life
The Census of Marine Life is a global network of researchers in more than 70 nations engaged in a ten-year initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life in the oceans - past, present, and future.

Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
The CGIAR is a strategic alliance of members, partners and international agricultural centers that mobilizes science to benefit the poor.

CUAHSI - universities allied for water research

Dialogue on Water and Climate
The Co-operative Programme on Water and Climate aims to improve the capacity in water resources management to cope with the impacts of increasing variability of the world's climate, by establishing a platform through which policymakers and water resources managers have better access to, and make better use of, information generated by climatologists and meteorologists.

European Union of National Associations of Water Suppliers and Waste Water Services
EUREAU represents the common interests of its member associations to the Community organisations dealing with Community legislation and European standards relevant to water supply and waste water.

FIVAS
The Association for International Water and Forest Studies (FIVAS) is an independent organization working to obtain and disseminate information about the impacts of large dams and hydropower projects in the Third World

FreshwaterLife
FreshwaterLife is a freshwater information portal.

Global Water Partnership
The Global Water Partnership is a working partnership among all those involved in water management: government agencies, public institutions, private companies, professional organizations, multilateral development agencies and others committed to the Dublin-Rio principles.

GWSP Asia
GWSP Asia is a recently established network of Asian institutions under the framework of the GWSP.

Helmholtz Association of German National Research Centres
The Helmholtz Association is a community of 15 scientific-technical and biological-medical research centres. These centres have been commissioned with pursuing long-term research goals on behalf of the state and society. The Association strives to gain insights and knowledge so that it can help to preserve and improve the foundations of human life. It does this by identifying and working on the grand challenges faced by society, science and industry. Helmholtz Centres perform top-class research in strategic programmes in six core fields: Energy, Earth and Environment, Health, Key Technologies, Structure of Matter, Transport and Space.

International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS)

Inter-American Water Resources Network
The IWRN is a network of networks whose purpose is to build and strengthen water resources partnerships among nations, organizations, and individuals; to promote education and the open exchange of information and technical expertise; and to enhance communication, cooperation, collaboration and financial commitment to integrated water and land resources management within the context of environmental and economic sustainability in the Americas.

International Hydropower Association
The International Hydropower Association is a non-governmental mutual association of organizations and professionals working or studying in the hydropower sector.

International Network of Basin Organizations

International Office for Water
The International Office for Water (IOW) is a non-profit-making Association whose objective it is to gather public and private partners involved in water resources management and protection in France, Europe and in the world in order to set up a partners' network.

International Rivers Network
IRN supports local communities working to protect their rivers and watersheds. We work to halt destructive river development projects, and to encourage equitable and sustainable methods of meeting needs for water, energy and flood management

International Water Association
The International Water Association (IWA) is a global network of water professionals, spanning the continuum between research and practice and covering all facets of the water cycle.

International Water Resources Association
IWRA strives to improve water management worldwide through dialogue, education, and research. It is a network for people, information, and organizations that are vitally concerned with the global sustainability of water resources.

International Waters Learning Exchange and Resource Network
IW:LEARN aims at building an Internet-based "global knowledge community" to protect, restore and sustain the world's aquifers, great lakes and river basins, coastal zones, seas and oceans. Sponsored by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and its United Nations and World Bank partners, IW:LEARN specifically builds capacity among transboundary water resource projects worldwide.

IUCN Water and Nature Initiative
A 5-year action plan of 80 partner organizations to improve water management for healthy rivers and healthy communities.

Länderarbeitsgemeinschaft Wasser (LAWA)
The LAWA is the German Working Group of the Federal States on water issues.

NSF National Center for Hydrology Synthesis
Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science

RIVERNET
RIVERNET offers information concerning rivers and their watersheds, as well as about problems, projects, campaigns and successes in Europe and the world in English, French and German.

SCOPE
A worldwide network of scientists and scientific institutions developing syntheses and reviews of scientific knowledge on current or potential environmental issues.

The Universities Partnership for Transboundary Waters
The Universities Partnership for Transboundary Waters is an international consortium of water expertise, including ten universities on five continents, seeking to promote a global water governance culture that incorporates peace, environmental protection, and human security.

Water Academy
An organization with a vision "to foster the existence of a community of experts with the purpose of aiding in the management and use of water for the benefit of all mankind. The Academy's objectives are "to be a community of innovators and facilitators from science, business and government who address and assist key-decision makers world wide. to be involved in the making of tangible improvements in high impact water resource issues through communication, relationships, and co-operation in the search for common benefits and solutions".

Watershed Management Council
The Watershed Management Council is a non-profit organization whose members represent a broad range of watershed management interests and disciplines. Membership includes professionals, students, teachers, and individuals whose interest is in promoting proper watershed management.

WaterWeb Consortium
The WaterWeb consortium has been created to promote the sharing of information concerning water and the earth’s environment. Our organization seeks to create a global community, bringing together educational, governmental, nonprofit, & commercial entities interested in water research, conservation, and management. WaterWeb’s goals are to advance water related issues, promote the use of quality information, and share information with water use stakeholders and decision makers.

World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Incorporated as a foundation in 1971, and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit; it is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. The World Economic Forum is under the supervision of the Swiss Federal Government.

World Conservation Union (IUCN)
The World Conservation Union is the world’s largest and most important conservation network. The Union brings together 82 States, 111 government agencies, more than 800 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and some 10,000 scientists and experts from 181 countries in a unique worldwide partnership. The Union’s mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.

World Lakes Network
LakeNet is a global network of more than 1000 people and organizations in 100+ countries working for the conservation and sustainable management of lakes. The LakeNet Secretariat is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing together people and solutions to protect and restore the health of the world's lakes.

Policy Makers

International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine
As Rhine bordering countries Switzerland, France, Germany and the Netherlands as well as Luxemburg and the European Union co-operate within the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR) on the basis of a treaty under international law.

Länderarbeitsgemeinschaft Wasser (LAWA)
The LAWA is the German Working Group of the Federal States on water issues.

Mekong River Commission
The Mekong River Commission (MRC) was established on 5 April 1995 by the Agreement on The Cooperation for The Sustainable Development of The Mekong River Basin. The MRC member countries are Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam. MRC maintains regular dialogue with the two upper states of the Mekong River Basin, China and Myanmar.

Companies

Halcrow Group
Halcrow's water business covers all aspects of the water industry and other utilities, covering water supply, waste water, water resources, dams and hydro power, irrigation and drainage, river engineering, flood control, coastal engineering, ports and dockyards, special structures, nuclear facilities, mechanical and electrical engineering, energy, geomatics, and water operations and distribution.

MunichRe Group Risks Research Department

RWE Thames Water
Thames Water is part of the water division for RWE and provides sewage services all over the world.

Swiss Re
Swiss Re is one of the world's leading reinsurers and a centre of competence in risk and capital management. It has a research department and several water initiatives.

UMGENI Water
Umgeni Water is one of Africa's most successful organisations involved in water management and the largest bulk water supplier in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is one of the largest catchment-based water utility in Southern Africa, supplying some 340 000 000 kilolitres of clean, safe drinking water to almost 4.8 million people annually. Its main customers include eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, Illembe, Sisonke, Umgungundlovu and Ugu district municipalities, and the Msunduzi and Mngeni local municipalities, amongst others.

Veolia Water
Veolia Water, the Water Division of Veolia Environment, is the world's leading water services company.

Education Sector

Environment Canada - Teacher's Corner

International Waters Learning Exchange and Resource Network
IW:LEARN aims atbuilding an Internet-based "global knowledge community" to protect, restore and sustain the world's aquifers, great lakes and river basins, coastal zones, seas and oceans. Sponsored by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and its United Nations and World Bank partners, IW:LEARN specifically builds capacity among transboundary water resource projects worldwide.

MAX Wissen
Max-Planck Educational Page (in German only)

The Water Page
The Water Page is an independent initiative dedicated to the promotion of sustainable water resources management and use. A particular emphasis is placed on the development, utilisation and protection of water in Africa and other developing regions.

USGS-Water Science for Schools
The USGS Water Science for Schools website offers information on many aspects of water, along with pictures, data, maps, and an interactive center where you can give opinions and test your water knowledge.

Water Education Foundation

Water on the Web
Water on the Web (WOW) contains two sets of curricula. Basic Science offers opportunities for high school and first year college students to learn basic science through hands-on science activities, in the lab and in the field, and by working with state-of-the-art technologies accessible through this web site. Water Science offers a two-semester water resource management curriculum for second year technical students or undergraduates in water resource management, water science, or environmental resource management programs.

Wikipedia Water Portal

Higher Education

Master course in Paleoclimate & Geo-Ecosystems
The two years Master of Science study “Paleo-Climate and
Geo-ecosystems” will, in the first year, provide a thorough basic
education of the components necessary to understand and reconstruct the
impact of climate on geo-environmental systems. Basic courses will
provide a profound knowledge of “Modern Climatology” and “Reading the
Climate Signal” from various archives by making use of different
reconstruction tools. Advanced courses cover a.o. “Climate Modelling”, “Climate and Policy”, “Man and Climate: from Hominids to Modern Civilization”,
“Biogeochemical Cycles”. The second year offers a choice of various optional courses including those from partner institutes abroad (London, Gif sur Yvette, Bremen,
for instance) and the possibility of additional stays in industry or at
institutes. Finalisation of a “Research Project” and completion of a
“Master’s Thesis” form the final phase of this education.

Data Sources

Arctic CHAMP
The primary aim of Arctic-CHAMP (community-wide Hydrologic Analysis and Montoring Program) is to catalyze and execute the necessary interdisciplinary research in order to construct a holistic understanding of arctic hydrology.

ArcticRIMS
A regional, integrated hydrological monitoring system for the Pan-Arctic land mass.

BADC - British Atmospheric Data Centre
The British Atmospheric Data Centre (BADC) is the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) Designated Data Centre for the Atmospheric Sciences. The role of the BADC is to assist UK atmospheric researchers to locate, access and interpret atmospheric data and to ensure the long-term integrity of atmospheric data produced by NERC projects.

Climatic Research Unit (CRU) - University of East Anglia
The Climatic Research Unit is an institution concerned with the study of natural and anthropogenic climate change. It has developed a number of the data sets widely used in climate research, including the global temperature record used to monitor the state of the climate system, as well as statistical software packages and climate models.

Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED)

Dartmouth Flood Observatory Homepage
The Observatory detects, maps, measures, and analyzes extreme flood events world-wide using satellite remote sensing.

Department of Water Affairs and Forestry Disaster Management (DWAF)

DEWA~Europe/GRID-Geneva (Global Environ-mental Outlook Data Portal)
DEWA/GRID-Europe is one of UNEP's major centres for data and information management, with a unique, "value-adding" mandate in the handling of global and regional environmental data, which in turn support the environment assessment and early-warning activities of UNEP and its partners. At the same time, GRID-Europe occupies the niche of francophone centre for the global GRID network.

EarthTrends - The Environmental Information Portal
Earth Trends is an online database that focuses on the environmental, social, and economic trends that shape our world. This site presents information from world renowned data sources in multiple formats.

EEA Water Database

Environmental Treaties and Resources Indicators (ENTRI) - AN online service for accessing multilateral environmental treaty data.

FAO AQUASTAT
Links to other information systems, databases and spatial datasets related to the field of water resources and agriculture.

FAO Water Resources, Development and Management Service

FIGIS - FAO Fisheries Global Information System
The FAO Fisheries Global Information System is a network of integrated fisheries information.

Fishbase

GEMSTAT
GEMSTAT is a new online searchable database of global water quality data and statistics launched by UNEP’s Global Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS) Water Programme.

GEOSS - Global Earth Observation System of Systems

Global Observing Systems Information Center

Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC)
The Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) provides global precipitation analyses for monitoring and research of the earth's climate. The centre is a German contribution to the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and to the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS).

GROMS - Global Register on Migratory Species

Human Development Report 2005

ICM Motueka Project Library

ICSU World Data Centers

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research - Data and Information System (IAI-DIS)
The DIS is an Internet based data and information system with the following objectives in focus: 1) Dissemination of data created within the IAI scientific projects by using a metadata creation and management process; 2) Data discovery; and 3) Contribute for the standardization and exchange of scientific data between investigators and institutions.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - Data Distribution Centre
The DDC offers access to baseline and scenario data for representing the evolution of climatic, socio-economic, and other environmental conditions.

International Environmental Agreements (IEA)
This website provides information related to the IEA Database, a project dedicated to creating a comprehensive database of international environmental agreements.

IUCN Water resources Atlas
This CD provides maps of land cover, population density and biodiversity for 154 basins and sub-basins around the world.

International Water Management Institute
The International Water Management Institute is a nonprofit scientific research organization focusing on the sustainable use of water and land resources in agriculture and on the water needs of developing countries.

IWMI World Water and Climate Atlas
The IWMI World Water and Climate Atlas gives irrigation and agricultural planners rapid access to accurate data on climate and moisture availability for agriculture.

Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean (JISAO) - Climate Data Archive

maESTro - Environmentally Sound Technologies Database
maESTro is a database providing information about Environmentally Sound Technologies, institutions and other sources of information.

Millenium Assessment Dataset Catalog
The MA Data Catalog is a searchable metadatabase of numerous environmental and socio-economic datasets.

NASA/GFSC - Goddard Space Flight Center Earth Sciences, Data and Information Services Center
The GES DISC provides atmosphere, precipitation, and ocean measurements data and services to scientists, application developers, and educators.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center (ORNL DAAC)
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center (ORNL DAAC) is a NASA-sponsored source for biogeochemical and ecological data useful in environmental research.

OBIS - Ocean Biogeographic Information System
The Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) is the information component of the Census of Marine Life (CoML), a growing network of researchers in more than 45 nations engaged in a 10-year initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of life in the oceans - past, present, and future.

Palaeoclimatology group at Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry

Pan-Arctic River Discharge Database

Population-Environment Research Network (PERN) eLibrary
The PERN eLibrary is an important and unique reference tool for classic population-environment literature; journal articles; conference and working papers; relevant data sets; and educational resources. The eLibrary database is annotated and includes bibliographic citation information, Internet links to the materials, and keywords.

Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System Unit (RS GIS Unit) of IWMI
The Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) Unit (RS GIS Unit) of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), is a centralized facility for all spatial data related activities of IWMI at the headquarters in Sri Lanka and Regional Offices located in different parts of the world.

SAGE
SAGE is engaged in developing maps, computer models and datasets to describe the behavior of Earth’s terrestrial ecosystems, hydrological systems, and climate. They developed global ecosystem (IBIS) and terrestrial hydrology (THMB) models, as well as fully coupled climate-vegetation models (GENESIS-IBIS and CCM3-IBIS). In addition, new datasets of global ecosystems, historical land use, and land cover change, datasets specific to the Amazon Basin were created.

SAKIA
SAKIA.org is an information and communication service in the area of 'land and water'. Sakia.org hosts several services such as the email discussion list IRRIGATION-L the WWW Virtual Library Irrigation & Hydrology (content filling stage), the WWW Database on Irrigation & Hydrology Software - IRRISOFT (under revision), the e-Journal of Land and Water, an open access and peer reviewed international scientific journal for research and developments and the Journal of Applied Irrigation Science. Sakia.org is fostering the open and free access to knowledge in support of the 'land and water' community.

SEDAC - Socioeconomic Data and Application Center

The Water Page - Water Resources Information Database

The World's Water (Pacific Institute)
The World's Water is a site dedicated to providing up-to-date water information, data, and web connections to organizations, institutions, and individuals working on a wide range of global freshwater problems and solutions.

Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database

UN Environment Network
United Nations Environment Network: a global portal to authoritative environmental information based on themes and regions.

UNEP Global Resource Information Database (GRID)
GRID is a global network of environmental data centres facilitating the generation and dissemination of key environmental geo-referenced and statistical data-sets and information products, focusing on environmental issues and natural resources.

UNEP.net - Freshwater Thematic Portal

UNEP/GRID Arendal
GRID-Arendal provides analysis and supports communication on issues such as climate change, environment and poverty, environment and security, the urban environment and sustainable development through education.

UNESCO International Hydrological Programme - Databases established within the framework of the International Hydrological Programme

UNH/GRDC composite runoff fields V 1,0

United Nations Atlas of the Oceans
The Atlas is an information system designed for use by policy makers who need to become familiar with ocean issues and by scientists, students and resource managers who need access to underlying data bases and approaches to sustainability.

United Nations System-Wide Earthwatch
The United Nations System-wide Earthwatch mechanism is a broad UN initiative to coordinate, harmonize and catalyze environmental observation activities among all UN agencies for integrated assessment purposes.

US Global Change Research Information Office
The US Global Change Research Information Office (GCRIO) provides access to data and information on climate change research, adaptation/mitigation strategies and technologies, and global change-related educational resources on behalf of the various US Federal Agencies that are involved in the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP).

USGS Water
The USGS Water Resources Discipline (WRD) provides reliable, impartial, timely information needed to understand the water resources of the United States.

Donors

Asian Development Bank
ADB is a multilateral development finance institution dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific.

BMBF - German Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Entwicklung und Zusammenarbeit

DAAD
The German Academic Exchange Service is one of the world's largest and most respected intermediary organisations in its field.

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) is the central, self-governing research organisation that promotes research at universities and other publicly financed research institutions in Germany.

EU 6th Framework Programme
The EU's Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development is a major tool to support the creation of the European Research Area - ERA.

European Science Foundation (ESF)
The European Science Foundation promotes high quality science at a European level. It acts as a catalyst for the development of science by bringing together leading scientists and funding agencies to debate, plan and implement pan-European initiatives.

Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation makes grants or loans that build knowledge and strengthen organizations and networks. Its focus areas are Asset Building & Community Development, Peace & Social Justice, and Knowledge, Creativity & Freedom.

Funding Opportunities Database
COS Funding Opportunities is the largest and most comprehensive research funding database on the Web. Updated daily, COS Funding Opportunities includes more than 22,000 records, representing over 400,000 funding opportunities, worth over $33 billion.
Access by subscription only.

Global Environment Facility
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) helps developing countries fund projects and programs that protect the global environment. It funds projects in four focal areas: biodiversity, climate change, international waters, and ozone. Projects to address land degradation, as it relates to the four focal areas, are also eligible for funding.

Humboldt-Stiftung
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is a non-profit foundation established by the Federal Republic of Germany for the promotion of international research cooperation. It enables highly qualified scholars not resident in Germany to spend extended periods of research in Germany and promotes the ensuing academic contacts.

ICSU
The International Council for Science (ICSU) is a non-governmental organization representing a global membership that includes both national scientific bodies (103 members) and international scientific unions (27 members).

InWEnt
InWEnt – Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung (Capacity Building International, Germany) is synonymous with human resources and organisational development in international cooperation.

Marie Curie Stiftung
Marie Curie Fellowships provide European placements for pre and post-doctoral researchers, usually up to the age of 35, and for experienced researchers. Fellowships are available in any scientific discipline that contributes to the objectives of the Fifth Framework Programme (FP5).

Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Forschung des Landes NRW

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency. NSF receives approximately 30,000 proposals each year for research, education, and training projects, of which approximately 10,000 are funded. In addition, it receives several thousand applications for graduate and post-doctoral fellowships. NSF grants are typically awarded to universities, colleges, academic consortia, nonprofit institutions, and small businesses. It also supports cooperative research between universities and industry, U.S. participation in international scientific efforts, and educational activities at every academic level.

Robert-Bosch-Stiftung

Shell Foundation
The Shell Foundation is an independent grant-making charity, dedicated to helping people help themselves.

START
START is a non-governmental, non-profit organization that seeks to establish and foster regional networks of collaborating scientists and institutions in developing countries.

UNESCO
UNESCO promotes international co-operation among its 190 Member States and six Associate Members in the fields of education, science, culture and communication.

Volkswagen Foundation
The Volkswagen Foundation provides financial support to academic institutions in Germany, as well as other countries, and funding is available for projects in all disciplines.

International Treaties, Conventions, Resolutions, Recommendations &
Water Laws

Environmental Treaties and Resources Indicators (ENTRI)
ENTRI is an online service for accessing multilateral environmental treaty data.

European Water Framework Directive
This site provides information on the different pieces of water legislation (and related policies) in the European Community.

ICM Motueka Project

International Water Law Project (IWLP)
The International Water Law Project website was created to provide pertinent information on international water law and policy and related topics. Specifically, it offers treaties, articles, news stories, case law, Internet links, and other relevant information.

Ministerial Declaration of The